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It is the £200 million casino and leisure development that will lift Birmingham and the West Midlands into the high-roller league – challenging the likes of Las Vegas and Shanghai.

NEC Group Chief Executive Paul Thandi said Resorts World could act as a springboard for an economic boom which could bring up to two million extra visitors a year to the vast complex.

And he said casino operators Genting’s investment marked a huge stake in the region, bringing the largest leisure and entertainment complex in Europe directly to the heart of the West Midlands.

Resorts World Birmingham is set to launch at the NEC in July, bringing more than 1,000 new jobs, the largest gaming floor in Europe, and a string of restaurants, bars, designer shops and other upmarket facilities.

The NEC supremo said the giant casino would put the ‘show’ back into the West Midlands’ show-business world – whilst acting as a potential magnet for lucrative new businesses from overseas.

The news comes in a week when the Mail is running a series of articles on Boomtown Brum, highlighting how the city is heading into a new golden era.

Resorts World

“My view is that Resorts World is going to transform the future of the West Midlands. It is a unique, mixed-use entertainment complex based here in the UK,'' said Mr Thandi.

“This has taken me six years of my life to get to this point. It will put the show back into our show business, you need to create some show.

“The casino is the anchor tenant but you can add in all the other elements, the restaurants, bars. We have now got something that people don’t have in Europe, which is a competitor for the Far East and Las Vegas.

“We are trying to take on the likes of Shanghai, Singapore, Las Vegas and Macau. We are taking on the big boys. These are very exciting tines.

“Genting, a 30 billion US dollar company, has chosen our site for its largest investment in Europe. You have also got a great retail offer, with landmark brands like Gap and Nike coming in.

“One of the problems that we have been up against is the question of people saying ‘what can we do after the show, what do they do in the evening, where do people go after an Arena Show? What is going to make them enjoy their time with us?

“The shows are hard work and people want to relax at the end of the day. Now you will be able to go to restaurants, spas, hotels. There will be the single largest gaming floor in Europe, you will have the high rollers coming in.

“But it is not all about gaming. We have currently got about three million people coming through the site.

“We think there will now be four and a half million to five million people coming through the site.”

An artist's impression of HS2

Mr Thandi said Resorts World could help pull in extra business from overseas, with the likes of major developments at New Street Station, Paradise Circus and HS2 galvanising further growth.

“You have got Neil Rami and his team out in Cannes this week trying to attract foreign investment. You have got JLR flying people over all the time and spending their time in Leamington, Warwick and other places,’ he said.

“This gives them a great alternative in the evening, a great alternative in the day. It drags Birmingham out to where it should be, on our doorstep.

“Once you have relocated here, you want to enjoy your leisure time and this will be a big attraction, adding to the quality of life.”

Resorts World, between the LG Arena and the Crowne Plaza Hotel, recently announced plans to recruit around 1,100 people, with the first 300 for the Genting International Casino. A range of new jobs will include cashiers, poker dealers, gaming staff and management roles.

An artist's impression of the lobby bar at the new Resorts World Birmingham

Other retailers to sign up for the NEC development include restaurant chains Pizza Express and TGI Fridays, plus clothing giant Next.

The summer launch of Resorts World is planned around six months after the NEC Group’s National Indoor Arena in Birmingham was relaunched as the Barclaycard Arena following a £26.5 million refurbishment.

The redevelopment work, which was key to the venue landing the World Indoor Athletics Championships for the city in 2018, has added 6,000 square metres of space to the city.

Canadian crooner Michael Buble opened the Arena with a sell-out performance in front of almost 14,000 fans in December. “In my opinion, I think it is now one of the best arenas in the UK,” added Mr Thandi.

Boomtown Brum looks at the exciting things that are just around the corner for the city.

*Follow our Boomtown Brum series this week to see how the city is entering a new golden era.

• Wednesday: The world is coming to Brum as the Rugby World Cup and Ashes lead a calendar of top sport;

• Thursday: We look at shopping and major new developments at Grand Central, John Lewis, The Mailbox and Bullring;